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Local News Headlines 5:05am 3/21/13

Local News Headlines  5:05am 3/21/13

 

A Jamestown woman has been indicted by a federal Grand Jury for conspiring to obtain prescription pain killers illegally... and, selling them.  U-S Attorney William Hochul, Junior says the grand jury has returned a 17-count indictment charging 46 year-old Samilyn Olson with obtaining oxycodone through fraud... forgery and subterfuge... unlawfully distributing oxycodone... and, conspiring to do so.  Hochul is accusing Olson of stealing presciption forms from a nurse practitioner at the Veteran's Affairs Community-based Outpatient clinic on eight different occasions between May and September of 2010.  She then allegedly forged the nurse practitioner's name... and, wrote prescriptions for oxycodone.  Hochul says the prescriptions were then filled by Olson or others at a local pharmacy in Jamestown.  She officially charged in Federal Court in Buffalo Thursday afternoon.  The conspiracy and distribution counts each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a one-million dollar fine.  The remaining counts each carry a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a 250-thousand dollar fine.

 

The New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association... along with sportsmen's groups, firearms businesses and individual gun owners... has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an injunction to stop the state's new gun control law.  The suit claims the law violates New Yorkers' Second Amendment rights.  The suit, filed Thursday in Buffalo, says the statute enacted January 15th infringes on the right of law-abiding citizens to keep ``commonly possessed'' guns in the home for family defense and other legal purposes.  The law, pushed through by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was the first in the nation and came a month after the December 14th Connecticut school massacre.  It tightens the definition of illegal ``assault weapons'' to include some popular and formerly legal semi-automatic rifles and requires registration of older guns.

 

Lake Effect Snows returned to the Jamestown-area mid-afternoon yesterday... and, we'll see more of it as we head through this morning.  The National Weather Service in Buffalo is continuing our Lake Effect Snow Warning through Noon today.  Forecaster Sean Smith in Buffalo says the lake effect bands were mainly in the north county yesterday morning... but, he said they would begin shifting to the south later.  Smith adds we will remain in what meteorologists call a "blocking pattern" through late today. Smith says this weather pattern has kept a large, "upper level" low over us... and, it's sandwiched in by a pair of high pressure systems to our east and west.  As long as that's the case... he says we're stuck in this pattern.  Smith says we'll remain much colder than normal through today.  He adds by Sunday... we'll be back to more normal conditions.  However... the next few days after that will find temperatures again below normal. It was one year ago yesterday that we experienced an unprecidented March warm-up.  The National Weather Service office in Buffalo recorded a record temperature of 83-degrees.  Thursday... it was about 60-degrees colder than that.

 

A long-time, Easter weekend tradition will take place a week from this Saturday... but, the weather is forcing Jamestown's annual Easter Egg Hunt indoors this year.  That from Mayor Sam Teresi yesterday afternoon during the announcement that the city's 66th annual hunt will take place at 10:30 AM Saturday, March 30th.  However... it'll be held in the Allen Park Ice Rink because the forecast for the foreseeable future includes more Winter-like conditions with unseasonably cold temperatures. Teresi adds that -- even if there's a last minute warm up... there would still be a problem with wet grounds, and safety at the park.  IF there is a major improvement in the forecast... he adds they will try to hold it outdoors.  But... whether it's indoors or out... Recreation Director Julia Ciesla-Hanley says they'll have 3-thousand chocolate eggs ready for the kids.  There'll also be 30 prize eggs for the kids to find.  Again this year... they'll have two Gold... and, two Silver Eggs that contain the grand prizes for this year.  They are being awarded in memory of Mark Hess... who generously supported the Egg Hunt for many years.

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York legislative leaders have reached a deal on a tentative 2013-14 budget that would keep spending increases under 2 percent, while providing tax rebates and breaks over the next two years.  Cuomo says the 135-billion dollar budget deal includes a $350 rebate check for middle-class families with at least one child... and, a household income of 40-thousand to 300-thousand dollars.  The checks wouldn't be sent to taxpayers until 2014, an election year for Cuomo and lawmakers.  The deal also would raise the 7-dollar-25 cent hourly minimum wage to 9-dollars over three years.  But... it wouldn't include automatic increases tied to inflation, which Democrats had sought.

 

Authorities say the man who fatally shot four men in neighboring upstate New York villages last week still had 50 rounds on him... and, another 45 in his vehicle parked outside the building where he was killed in a shootout with police.  The Utica Observer-Dispatch reports that the Herkimer County District Attorney told county legislators Wednesday night that police found the ammunition on Kurt Myers' body and inside his vehicle after he was shot last Thursday morning inside a vacant building in Herkimer.  The shootout ended a 19-hour standoff.  The 64-year-old Myers fired at police as they approached the small room where he was holed up.  Myers killed an FBI dog before police returned fire, hitting him multiple times.  Myers killed four men and wounded two others during last week's shootings in Mohawk and Herkimer.